______________________ LIFE, FAITH, ETCETERA

We just finished season 4 of Ray Donovan, the final episode of which ended with the song “Rock Me Gently.” This brought back memories of being at the Pizza King in Bluffton, Indiana. It was 1974, and I played the hell out of that Andy Kim 45 on their jukebox. I also played side B a lot, which was simply the instrumental version of the song. I just totally loved the production, arrangement and the keyboard work.
After the Ray Donovan episode and the song finished, I was going on about how much I enjoyed the song. While reminiscing, I said to my wife, “Ya know, that sounds a lot like Michael Omartian,” (my idol when it comes to producers/arrangers/ keyboardists).
Spoiler alert: It was Michael.

Listening to “Rock Me Gently” at the Pizza King back in 1974, I had no idea who Omartian was.
It wasn’t until a few years later, when I heard an album called “With Footnotes” by a sibling group named “The 2nd Chapter of Acts” that I became aware of him. (This was during a stage of my life where all music had to pass the litmus test: “Is that a Christian song?!?!” But that’s another post someday.)
Later, Michael released the ground-breaking album “White Horse.” “White Horse” was released and billed as a “Christian” album. But don’t let that put you off of it. Sonically, it’s one of the best LPs of all time, IMHO.

BUT, the point of this post is this: The simple hope that you’ll listen to the song “Rock Me Gently,” just because I like to share things I enjoy. If you’ve never heard it, enjoy it as a nice little pop-rock song. But, whether you’ve heard it before or not, listen to it with the focus on production, keyboards, and BGV’s (especially toward the end). It’s just a carnival for the ears. 44 years after 1st hearing it, it still gets my blood pumping.

I’m going to take a huge hit on my taxes for this year.
Why?
In a word: Obamacare.

This past February I lost the insurance that I had had through my employer do to a change in employment status. I failed to find/afford health care within the allowed 3-month period following.
Now I’m gonna owe.
The Affordable Care Act has not yet been of personal benefit.
It’s actually a bit of a burden.

This morning, after 7 years of railing against Obamacare, the Republicans again failed to repeal and replace.
And guess what.
I rejoiced!
I have actively done my part by sending emails, making phone calls and sharing info on social media.
Obamacare is going to cost me, and I still rejoice in its continued success (and much-needed fixes).

Why?
Because I know this isn’t just about me!

The Christian Bible says
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:4 (NASB)
The Dalai Lama is quoted as saying
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others, and if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

I know millions would have lost their coverage if this repeal and falsely touted “replace” would have gone through. I know of those who would not have received coverage without the ACA. There are those who know they likely would have died without Obamacare.
I rejoiced in this morning’s decision because it’s the right thing todo whether I, at this point, am benefited by it or not.

It was already clear for those willing to see, but now is pretty much undeniable: The Republicans never intended on the “replace” part. Only the repeal. That’s why, after all these years, they still don’t have a workable plan. Because, as they’ve proven, they don’t care about health care as much as they care about destroying the legacy of America’s 1st African-American President.
I believe this with every fiber of my being.

So yes. For me right now, the ACA is a burden. It’s going to cost me.
That’s OK.
I also pay taxes to support the school system while having no school-age children. I pay for roads on which I’ll never travel. The list goes on.
Yes, it’s a burden. But I’m looking beyond the burden in the hopes that we can move forward and improve health care.
Not just destroy it.

[Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2]

[“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi]

[“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'” – MLK]

Intelligent and knowledgeable, funny and insightful, and still a pretty good looking guy.

But enough about me.
Let’s talk about Al Franken and his latest book.

This is my 4th read by Franken. It does not disappoint. In fact, there’s something in its tone that, to me, seems to make it more accessible than his previous books.
It’s a memoir. It’s humorous. It’s a scathing expose. It’s an explanation of the mechanics of government. And, ultimately, a book of hope.

We shown portions of Al’s childhood, we go through the years of his SNL involvement, and are brought up to date with his experience as a Senator from Minnesota.
And there are a lot of cool photographs.
One of his previous book titles can really be applied to all of his books: “The Truth (with Jokes).” All of his books are filled with researched, notated, verifiable facts. They also have many laughs (and some occasional groans). It’s hard to find reading that both entertains and educates as much as a book by Al Franken

[Although many of them are short, there are 47 chapters here. So I won’t be doing a chapter-by-chapter review (as I have for some books).]

Early on Franken tells us “Why I’m a Democrat.” “Civil rights, our parents taught us, are about basic justice. And when the news would be full of southern shefiffs truning firehoses, dogs, and nightsticks on demonstrators, my dad would point to the TV and [say] ‘No Jew can be for that!’ Opportunity is supposed to be for everyone. And that’s why I’m a Democrat.”

Later, of course, we get into Al’s run for Senate. An excruciating election that resulted in a 8-month (plus) recount!
Then we gain a whole lot of information about the inner workings of our government.

“My Republican Friends” is an interesting chapter. Al actually has many friends who are Republicans. And he has some positive things to say about Republicans in general. Part of his job is “looking for opportunities to find common ground.” But, being a Senator means having to make friends with people you’re fighting against, and fighting “with every fiber of your being” against people you are friends with.

We also learn of Al’s relationship to addiction. Al managed to never become an addict. “There but for the grace of God go I” he says. But he had to deal with his wife’s alcohol addiction, his best friend’s chemical addiction, as well addictions of celebrity friends like Belushi and Farley. “Addiction can take an unimaginable toll on the people who love addicts.”

The 3 chapters about SNL also discuss Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and a show Al did called “Indecision ’92.” And were brought to face the fact that “comedy broadcasts” are often one of the most reliable sources for truth in news. This is also the time-frame where “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations” is written, and “shot to number one on the New York Times bestseller list.”

There’s a chapter on healthcare. The lies, misinformation and obstruction from the Republicans on this issue is amazing. They fought and fought to stop it. Once it became law they’ve fought and fought to repeal it. Sadly, it’s looking like they may have a chance now. “Republicans have voted more than sixty times to repeal the law. They had offered zero plans to replace it.” And of course the “plans” they have offered recently haven’t even met with approval from their own party. That’s because, for all their talk, they’ve never been interested in the “replace” part. Just repealing any progress made by President Obama.

Another chapter discusses education. Which, with DeVos running the department, our children are in genuine trouble. But before Betsy, once again, “Even as we were finding ourselves in agreement on what we needed to do, Republican leadere were working to prevent us from actually doing it. McConnell’s goal was almost always to stop Obama and Senate Democrats from getting thing done, to prevent us from having achievements we could point to.”

In addition to health care and education, there’s a discussion on climate change. “Virtually everyone in the world believes that climate change is real and is caused by human beings, except Republicans. [They] know that if they concede that global warming is real, the Koch brothers will spend money against them.

“The Angel and the Devil” looks at the very important topic of discrimination. “Growing up, my kids read in history books about a time in our country when it was perfectly legal to fire somebody or refuse to hire somebody because they were black or a woman. For them it was a concept they couldn’t understand. I hope that my future grandkids will only read about when it was legal to fire someone because they’re gay or transgender.”

Ted Cruz gets an entire chapter devoted to him. “Here’s the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.”

On Trump: [He] quickly showed that he had no knowledge about the details of public policy… no interest in learning the details of public policy… [and] actively scornful of learning. “I know more that the generals,” he would say. No, idiot – you don’t.

We have insights and stories about McConnell, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, The horribly insanely greedy and uncaring Koch brothers, Perry Mason (?!?) and more.
Franken has a lot of stories about learning how to be a Senator and about how important all his staff are: The research, the guidance and critiques they offer. Switching careers from comedy writer (excuse me, “satire” writer) to serving as a Senator had a huge learning curve. He allowed his staff to gently let him know if he was crossing the line, such as the time when one staffer slipped him a subtle note: “You’re being an asshole.” So, Al’s humor often takes aim at Al, as well as others. And he give his wife, Franni, credit for saving his campaign. “There is no question that I would have lost the election if Franni had not [did what she did].”

As humorous and entertaining as this book is, the seriousness of the issues is intense.
This is information every American needs to have. The future of your children and grandchildren is literally in jeopardy right now!If you vote, you need to read this book! (And if you don’t vote, well…)

Until John Belushi’s death, we at SNL didn’t really understand that drugs can kill you. But by the time Chris Farley got in trouble, we at the show understood all too well.

Abortion services make up (only!) 3 percent of what Planned Parenthood does. [Planned Parenthood, through many of their services, does more to prevent abortions than anything those against it have ever come up with!!! Just sayin’.]

Half of all bankruptcies in America were tied to a medical problem.

Under Trump, we should probably prepare for the worst. This is going to suck for a while. But not forever.

Just because we’re out of power doesn’t mean we abdicate our responsibility to try to improve people’s lives. That’s what makes us Democrats. It’s what makes us worth electing in the 1st place.

I’ve read the Bible cover to cover.
More than once.
I’ve read much of it dozens of times, and some of it hundreds of times.
I’ve studied it. Meditated on it. Dissected it. Taught it. Preached it.
Made it much the focus of my life.
Eventually, to some degree, I discarded it. Dismissed it.
I’ve considered that it may be a book to be banned.
(OK. Not really. The book shouldn’t be banned. But many people should be banned from owning a copy until they learn some responsibility.)

How I wish I had had the eyes to see, and the ears to hear the kinds of wisdom, insight, approach, and understanding that is represented in Rob Bell’s profound book “What Is The Bible?”

A lot of the basic understanding here is understanding I’ve had for awhile now. Some of this was addressed in Brian McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christianity.” But, the specific perception of various individual passages that are discussed here are really, really eye-opening.
You’ll revisit stories with which you thought you were well acquainted.
Noah and the flood.
Abraham and his son.
Jonah and the big fish.
The parable of The Good Samaritan.
The “take-away” on these stories has (at least in my tradition) almost always strayed from the real point. But, they will take on a breath of fresh air as you understand them the way the original audience would have understood them. And we find out why Americans often miss the major themes of the Bible!

There are stories we look at and think, “How backwards and barbaric!” And a lot of it wasbackwards and barbaric! But, looking closer, in the midst of this we can see actual steps forward in the evolving understanding of God.
We go through lots of passages, Old Testament and New. We get into all the violence that causes some to pronounce “There is no God,” and others to just accept it (or even appropriate it, so to speak) and use it as a justification for their own hate. There’s a chapter titled “What’s the Worst Question to Ask When You’re Reading the Bible?”It’s a question that believers and atheists both ask!

One portion discusses the word and concept of “sin.” It’s become, for many of us, a cringe-worthy word. Here you’ll find what may be the best material on the subject I’ve ever seen.
Rob also addresses many of the standard questions he gets, like “Did Jesus have to die?” “What about all that wrath?” and (concerning Abraham) “What kind of God would ask a man to sacrifice his son?” I LOVED the answer to that one!
The last chapter, “A Note on Growing and Changing,” has some great advise for those of us with family and friends that dont see things the way we do. (And who doesn’t fit that catagory?!?!)

I once suggested a book to someone thinking he might enjoy the unique perspective. He didn’t read it (which is fine) But, what he did do was “analyze” the book based solely on it’s title, and then arrogantly proclaim “Book solved!” I remember thinking, “WTF?”

This is not a book to be solved. This is a book to be eaten.
Chewed slowly. Swished about like a fine wine.
Will you agree with everything in it? Not likely. Can you find (or make up) reasons to tear it apart? Of course you can.
Can you be inspired, encouraged, educated and entertained?
I sure was. There is just so much here!

I wish every atheist and fundamentalist evangelical would read this book (and, well, everyone else).
It’s been my experience that both tend to approach the Bible in the exact same way. But, as is often the case, many who could benefit the most will shun this book as either heresy or fantasy. Religion has a long history of calling truth heresy, and intellectuals have a long history of dismissing anything “spiritual.”
Still, for those who let it, it can be another compelling part of their journey. With lots of “ah-ha” moments.

I suppose once you’ve read “What Is The Bible”, that you can leave the experience unchanged.
But I can’t see how.

[In the story of Jonah] the dude who sees himself as us is furious because of how chummy God and them have become. He’s so furious he’d rather die than live with the tension.

I would often hear people say, We need to get back to how they did it in the early church. But reading the Bible, you learn that it’s not about trying to be something you’re not. We open our eyes to the divine invitation right here, right now in this [world].

When people debate faith vs. science they’ve already missed the point. Faith is about embracing truth wherever it’s found, and that of course includes science.

To make broad dismissals of the scriptures as having nothing to say to the modern world about what it means to be human is absurd and naïve. These are radical, progressive, open, expansive, extraordinary stories… told from the perspective of actual people living in space and time.

“Most of the Bible is a history told by people living in lands occupied by conquering superpowers. It is a book written from the underside of power. It’s an oppression narrative. The majority of the Bible was written by a minority people living under the rule and reign of massive, mighty empires, from the Egyptian Empire to the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Empire to the Assyrian Empire to the Roman Empire.
This can make the Bible a very difficult book to understand if you are reading it as a citizen of the the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. Without careful study and reflection, and humility, it may even be possible to miss central themes of the Scriptures.”
― Rob Bell, Jesus Wants to Save Christians

“Eternal life is less about a kind of time that starts when we die, and more about a quality and vitality of life now in connection to God.
Eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts now. It’s not about a life that begins at death; it’s about experiencing the kind of life now that can endure and survive even death.”
― Rob Bell, Love Wins

Critical Praise for “What Is The Bible”

“Rob Bell is at it again. Love him or loathe him, the theological provacateur says it’s time to rethink the Bible.” — Relevant

“With pastoral prodding, Rob Bell helps us see that scripture is a masterpiece of penetrating subtleties crafted by ancient authors with a transformative vision for humanity. Bell reminds us that the Bible is neither simple nor mundane, but worthy of our full attention.” — Peter Enns, author of The Sin of Certainty

“To my ear, Rob Bell is a preacher, a poet, and a scholar, drawing from a wide range of disciplines without ever making me feel like I’m reading a textbook. The style and format are poetic, moving, and almost breezy at times.” — Robert

U2 musician Bono has spent years reading and learning from the poetry of the Psalms, a book of the Bible that contains ancient hymns.
If there’s one thing Bono has realized from [studying the Psalms], it’s that art always requires honesty.
“I would really like this conversation to unlock some artists,” the singer, a devout Christian, said. “Because I think there are trapped artists and I’d like them to be untrapped.”
[Bono] found modern-day praise music to be sorely lacking. He argued that some contemporary worship music lacks the range of raw emotions that’s contained within the Psalms.

He also critiqued the impulse to label music as “Christian,” or not Christian.
“Creation screams God’s name. So you don’t have to stick a sign on every tree,” Bono said, suggesting that just because a song isn’t explicitly called a “Christian” song, that doesn’t mean it isn’t spiritual in nature.
“This has really, really got to stop,” he said. “I want to hear a song about the breakdown in your marriage, I want to hear songs of justice, I want to hear rage at injustice and I want to hear a song so good that it makes people want to do something about the subject.”
“I want to argue the case for artists or potential artists who might be listening in on our conversation and are not giving expression to what’s really going on in their lives because they feel it will give the wrong impression of them. We don’t have to please God in any other way than to be brutally honest.”

— MY COMMENTS:

AMEN & AMEN.
I remember listening to music and being bombarded with questions like “Is that a Christian song? Is that a Christian group? Is that a Christian record? Is that a Christian record needle?”
I also remember things like being given a shirt by my sister that wasn’t allowed in my shared apartment because it had “Capricorn” on it. There were other completely innocent items that weren’t allowed in people’s homes.
We talked a good game when it came to grace, but bottom line is we were elitist and judgmental! And I say “we” including myself. We thought we were so progressive with our long hair and Christian rock.
As someone else stated, either we were co-opted by, or morphed into the Religious Right.

I’m not really being negative.
We were where we were. The past is the past. It was all a part of our journey.

I AM saying we need to recognize the many ways we may still do those very same things.
And the point isn’t just whether or not we’ve changed this view or that view. The question is “Have we changed the way we approach our faith, so as to help eliminate those things from happening in the first place?” Have we learned we can love the Bible, and still approach it in a more responsible, realistic and intellegent way? Do we have the humility, as our past should surely have provided by now, to say:
“I totally believe this, but I could be wrong.”
Sure, hold fast to the truth. But it’s time we realize and acknowledge that so much of what we held fast to was never true to begin with.